Water-wheel.



Z; c. PB RI'S; WATER WHEEL. v

PPLIGA'IION FILED NOV. 23, 1909 I Patented Oct. 18,1910.

ZAGHARIAH C. FERRIS, OF CALDOR, CALIFORNIA.

WATER-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 18, 1910.

Application filed November 23, 1909. Serial No. 529,596.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ZAOHARIAH C. Fnnms, a native-born citizen of the. United States, residing at Caldor, in the county of Eldorado and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in \Vaterheels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in water wheels and consists in the novel combination and ar rangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly described and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure l is a combined side elevation and section with parts broken away showing my complete invention, Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on the line m-w of the wheel so constructed, and Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 2 1 of Fig. 1 with the bucket removed therefrom.

The object of my invention is to provide a very simple and practical water wheel to be used for producing power, the purpose of which is to capture and utilize for power a large percentage of the momentum of the moving water.

My invention consists therefore of a wheel of suitable design and having buckets arranged around the wheel and projecting from the periphery of the same, forming pockets having inclined hoods into which pockets the water is forced or injected and against the outer surface or periphery of the wheel, the latter having depressions of suitable design leading from and in communication with the pockets thus formed, whereby the primary impact of water which is defiected under the inclined hood will be forced downwardly into the adjacent depression from which the water glances or is forced upwardly and outwardly and is thrown upon the next or adjacent pocket and so on throughout the entire operation, all of which will appear from the detailed description to follow:

Referring to the drawings 1 represents a wheel of suitable design or construction and having a rim 2 with an outer flat peripheral surface 3 formed integral with the said rim and located opposite one another are projections 4;, the upper ends of which extend a suitable distance above the periphery of the rim. The projections t on either side of the wheel are similar in shape, the opposite edges 5 of which are on a line with an imaginary line to the center of the wheel, or in other words said edges of the projections are radially formed upon the wheel, said pairs of projections thus formed being arranged at predetermined distances apart around the rim of the wheel forming faces 6 for the purpose hereinafter described.

The hoods 7 are preferably constructed of sheet metal and are U-shaped as shown at 8 and having an upper rounded and inclined roof 9, the latter forming an inclined abutting surface against which the jet water is forced during the operation of the machine.

It is to be observed by referring particularly to Fig. 1 that the hoods 7 are open at their rear ends for allowing the water to pass into the recesses in rear thereof. The hoods 7 are secured in position upon the rim of the wheel and between the projections 4 thereon by rivets or bolts 10, the latter passing through the opposite sides of said hoods and through the rim of the wheel as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, thereby forming a pocket for the initial impact of water as previously described.

Formed in the outer periphery of the wheel and at predetermined distances apart and in line with each of the projections 4 forming a part of the wheel are depressions 11 which have a lower rounding surface 12 from which the water injected into the hood is forced upwardly and outwardly as previously described as it leaves the hood.

From the foregoing description it will be observed that when a jet of water is forced upon or against any one of the pockets, the said water will first strike the upper portion or inclined top of the hood which causes it to be forced upwardly or outwardly and is thrown upon the next bucket beyond and so on until the velocity of the jet of water is reduced by the several impacts to the rate of the wheels velocity at its outer rim. lVhen the stream of water has been driven along the rim of the wheel in the manner just described the same will no longer dart under the loops into the pockets.

As shown in Fig. 1 the water is supplied by a nozzle 13 which injects water to the wheel thus described, but any other form of injector or means for supplying water may be employed without departing from the nature of my invention.

Further I do not limit myself to the exact construction of the buckets or other attachments to the wheel as herein shown and described, as the same may be varied in many respects without departing from the nature of the invention, for instance said pockets or hoods forming the same may be made integral with the rim of the wheel.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

l. A water wheel having a suitable rim, pockets secured to the same and arranged at predetermined distances apart, said pockets having inclined tops, said rim having depressions formed in the rim of the wheel between said pockets, said pockets being open at their rear ends and in communication with said depressions.

2. A water Wheel comprising a suitable wheel, the rim of which is provided with depressions along its periphery, and hoods upon said rim and located between said depressions and in communication therewith, as and for the purpose described.

8. A water wheel comprising hoods arranged along the rim of the wheel at predetermined distances apart, and having upper inclined tops out of contact with the rim of the wheel, and means for securing said hoods in their proper position to the rim of the Wheel, said rim having depressions formed in the periphery of the wheel and located between the hoods but in communication therewith, as and for the purpose described.

4. A water wheel having a suitable rim, oppositely located projections forming a part of said rim and extending above the periphery of the latter, depresslons formed in the rim and located between said projections, U-shaped hoods each having an inclined upper portion forming pockets open at both ends and in communication with the depressions between which they are placed, and means for holding the said U-shaped hoods in their proper position to the rim and between the projections, as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ZAOHARIAH C. FERRIS.

Witnesses:

W. H. HUMPHBEYS, E. D. WEEKS. 

